Why brain blood vessels start to leak in brain diseases
Original title: Endothelial-to-mesenchymal Transition at the Blood-brain Barrier: Molecular Mechanisms and Pathological Roles Across Brain Diseases.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This looks across many earlier studies rather than running a new one.
This is a summary of where the science is heading, not a new result or a treatment people can get.
The short version
Researchers looked at how the lining of brain blood vessels changes and starts to leak in diseases like brain tumors.
What was studied. This is a review paper. The authors gathered earlier research on a process called endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EndMT. It happens in the cells that line the blood vessels of the brain.
What they found. The cells that line brain blood vessels can lose their normal job of forming a tight barrier. They start to act like a different kind of cell that makes scar-like material. The authors report this leads to long-term leaking, swelling, and stiffening of tiny vessels. They say the same process shows up in many brain diseases, including glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, cancer that has spread to the brain, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. They also say it may help disease get worse and make treatments stop working.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target for future drugs. Most treatments today try to calm inflammation or shore up the barrier for a short time. The authors argue that is not enough, and that stopping this cell change could protect brain vessels for longer. It is a direction for research, not something a doctor can give you.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a new treatment. No one was treated in this paper. It is a review of past studies, so it does not prove that any drug helps people. It is not a cure, and it does not change your care today. Any therapy built on this idea would need years of testing first.
Source: PubMed, July 25, 2026 · Read the original
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